Cityzen

No Longer In Business

Ambiance: Cityzen is a high-end restaurant located in the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Southwest Washington, DC. Ambiance is accordingly excellent, but not at all stuffy. Service: As would be expected at a place consistently rated number 1 or 2 in DC for fine dining, the service is outstanding. Informed and unobtrusive but very present. Selection: Beer selection is limited to about 10 bottles, no drafts. They have made some decent choices: Old Rasputin, Dales Pale Ale, Gaffel Kolsch, DC Brau the Citizen, etc, but they could certainly use a cicerone on staff. Given the quality of the sommelier-curated wine list, a restaurant of this quality should have a commensurate craft beer selection. Food: All that said, you come to Cityzen for the food, and it’s astounding. Every dish is perfection, and don’t even get me started on the little wooden boxes of dinner rolls that come with the main course. Value: This is not a value establishment. It’s pretty darn expensive. But it’s also worth it. Overall: This is a place to come for the rare special occasions in life, unless you are filthy rich.